Baby, Baby
by itwasawonderfulsplash
Summary: Rory's in labor, and Jess isn't at the hospital. Fortunately, someone else is... Literati future.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello readers, how are you on this fine, fine evening? I am quite grand, seeing as I'm writing a new story. And it's a Literati, too! I've got a couple junking up my hardrive, but none of 'em are publishable yet except for this baby. Plus I really wanted to see any reactions. Are people even reading Rory/Jess fanfiction anymore? I mean, the series ended (badly, except for Rory breaking up with Logan) a few years ago, and it was like two years before that that Jess was last on _Gilmore Girls_. For one episode. Urgh. Anyways, if anyone IS reading this, please know that I love and adore you.

* * *

"Hello, is R—Lorelai Gilmore here, please?"

Lorelai tapped frantically on the counter as the greeting woman, whose painfully slow chicken-typing was grating increasingly on her frayed nerves, searched the database, presumably. She was probably just closing all of her porn, Lorelai thought frenetically, and didn't even know where Rory was, or the receptionist was involved in some inter-department conspiracy to ruin her life because she never donated enough money to the hospital, or...

"We don't have a Lorelai Gilmore here," the insufferable woman drawled, taking a break from smacking her gum to gaze lazily up at Lorelai. "Are you sure you're in the right place?" She smiled with just a hint of condescension.

_So not the time for this, bitchhoskank. _Lorelai could feel a tension headache coming on. "Um, okay, can you try Rory Gilmore, then?" The receptionist, Mary something, had the nerve to stare at Lorelai for several moments, as if checking to see that she wasn't going to say, "Nah, just kidding, you go back to IMing your friends, it's cool."

Mary something had apparently decided that Lorelai was, in fact, legitimately looking for someone, and with a long suffering sigh she went back to clacking away on her keyboard. After a moment full of Lorelai praying to all the Gods she'd heard of, the woman pursed her lips and looked up. "Room 348, third floor, Candace Parsons corridor. If you can't find it, there's--"

"Right, thanks," Lorelai muttered quickly as she dashed away, determined to catch that almost-closed elevator. "Hold the door! Hold the door, dammit!"

* * *

Rory wasn't panicking. She really, really wasn't. She was okay. She could definitely do this. The facts that her sides really hurt, her feet were surely numb by now, her hair was a mess, and that _nobody was here_, well, they were all things she was taking in stride. That is, she would, if she could move more than a few inches side to side without feeling agonizing pain.

She was going to kill Daisy. Or Kirk. One or the other.

The room was beginning to give her a headache. There was a glare from the windows, and why, _why_, were the curtains open anyways? This was not a room she wanted people to be looking in on at any time of the day; the fact that she was on the third floor of a building with no other major buildings near where sight into her room would be easily accessible was not a factor. She wanted the blinds drawn.

And she craved coffee worse than any coffee-delirium she'd had during college, or high school, or any time in her life, ever. She closed her eyes and pictured a delicious, steaming cup of Luke's finest brew right in her hands, too hot to drink, but she'd try it anyways, and it would burn her tongue like always, but she didn't mind because the first sip was the best when it was scalding. Everyone knew that.

She opened her eyes. The room was still the same: bright, overly-cheery wallpaper and a TV in the corner, which was currently playing what appeared to be a rerun of _Dharma and Greg_ (she'd had the nurse mute the sound); several uncomfortable-looking chairs scattered about; a small, lumpy bed-couch thing on the wall directly opposite that of her own bed; and her overnight bag which she had thankfully remembered to grab before the panic set in and she ran out for a cab, screaming and wearing only one sock with her tennis shoes.

Okay. Deep breath. And now the room was looking suspiciously better. Did the hospital drug its oxygen to make the rooms seem more cheery? Interesting premise for a story. She could interview her RN, the receptionist, a couple interns...

"Ms. Gilmore?" Speaking of RN's, the kind, portly nurse had poked her head through the door. "You have a visitor, should I send them in?"

"Oh, yes, please!" _Thank God. Please let it be-- _

Immediately, Lorelai rushed into the room, and the nurse smiled and gently shut the door, not that either Gilmore noticed. "Mom, thank God you're here!" Rory was pretty sure she was crying now, either that or laughing (one or the other, close enough) and tried to sit up to hug her mother, but could only manage to recline further on the downy pillows. Undaunted in her exuberance and relief, Lorelai swooped down on her daughter and administered her patented Lorelai Gilmore Hug-o'-Love, designed to make the hug-ee feel better immediately. Rory pathetically squeezed back, but relaxed into her mom's arms.

"Rory, honey, I'm so glad to see you," Lorelai sighed, pulling back and surveying her daughter with a slight smile. "Are you okay, kid? You seem a bit woozy."

Rory shook her head. "No, not woozy, just overwhelmed. I can't believe I'm here, doing... _this."_

"I know."

"I mean, I never ever thought I'd be doing this, ever! And I'm so young, only twenty-eight. Do you think I should've waited until I was at least thirty and in a stable career? Oh my God, what if I lose my job with the _Post _over this, huh? They're gonna fire me, and then I'll be all alone in New York, with no job and no future and--"

"They're not going to fire you," Lorelai soothed, smiling. "And you wouldn't be alone Rory, you know that."

"Oh yeah?" Rory pressed on, growing more and more panicked by the second. "And where is he now, mom? I don't think he's here. And I can't talk to him because we only have one cell phone, and I have it. I can't--"

"Rory, honey, calm down! He's on his way, I called Truncheon, they said he left right after he found out. Smart thinking, sending him an email while you were in the cab. And I'm sure he's driving as fast as he can to get here, you know he'll be running through those doors any second--"

"--And I didn't even see him today! He's probably dead on the side of the road, and I didn't see him today because he had to get up and go to work early because of all the time he's taking off and he's getting a new editor, this fancy guy from Maine and the only time they could meet was today at eight, but _I _didn't want to drag my lazy ass out of bed and say goodbye and-- my kid is not going to have a father!" Rory was growing increasingly scared and frantic, something that Lorelai was definitely not used to.

"That's better than having its actual father," Lorelai joked weakly, more than a little nonplussed at her daughter's behavior. Not that she could blame her, of course. Labor was a scary, scary thing, and doing it alone sucked. She knew that for sure.

Her daughter rolled her eyes, relaxing back into her pillows. "Stop, you love Jess."

"Yes, I do," Lorelai crooned, relieved that her distraction seemed to work, "and you and he are both going to be _amazing _parents when this little guy arrives."

"We don't know the gender," Rory reminded her. "It's a surprise."

"I know, I just need something to call it," her mother explained, pulling up a chair.

"How about Daisy?" Rory suggested, downing an ice chip from her bedside table. "That's what I've been calling it."

"And that's better than 'little guy' how?" Lorelai asked wryly.

Rory frowned. "Hey, I'm the pregnant one here! Humor me."

"Right, sorry."

There was a pause as both women got lost in their own thoughts. Rory was trying to calm herself down, breathing slowly and objectively looking at the situation. She was in the early stages of labor, and Jess wasn't here. Granted, he was on his way, no doubt driving like a maniac to get here, but Saturday morning traffic in New York City was atrocious, regardless of how disregardless one was of traffic laws. Still, Lorelai was here at least.

"Hey mom?"

Lorelai glanced at Rory, who was reclining even more now, leaned back all the way with her eyes closed. "What's up, kiddo?"

"Could you tell me a story? Any story. Please," Rory yawned.

Lorelai stared at her daughter's wispy eyelashes for a moment, then smiled and got herself as comfortable as possible on her chair. "Sure, hon. Let's see..."

* * *

Chapter Two Teaser:

"Do you have the charger?" she asked, glancing down at his empty hands. "Because what if the phone runs out of battery before I can tell her?" They were in the middle of the bed, blankets thrown around them haphazardly, huddled together in the cold of March.

"Your phone has full battery," he said disbelievingly. "How on Earth could you use the whole thing just by calling your mom once?"

She shot him a very annoyed look. "This is a different kind of phone call," she explained stubbornly. "And you know my mom, she'll be excited the first moment then crying the next. It could go on for hours."

A/N: Review, huh? If you do, I'll.... write quicker! Send you an autographed picture of Milo (yum)! Love you forever!


	2. Yo, Adrian

A/N: Here ya go! Prompt-er than I usually do, I'm updating. Thanks to all the amazing, beautiful people that reviewed. J'adorez vous. Oh, and yes, this chapter is a flashback, cause those are always so fun!

* * *

"Do you have the charger?" she asked, glancing down at his empty hands. "Because what if the phone runs out of battery before I can tell her?" They were in the middle of the bed, blankets thrown around them haphazardly, huddled together in the cold of March.

"Your phone has full battery," he said disbelievingly. "How on Earth could you use the whole thing just by calling your mom once?"

She shot him a very annoyed look. "This is a different kind of phone call," she explained stubbornly. "And you know my mom, she'll be excited the first moment then crying the next. It could go on for hours."

"I think you should stop stalling and call her," he said, rolling his eyes. "She's going to be thrilled. You know it, I know it, Betty Sue knows it."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Our eighty-five-year-old neighbor knows?"

"Yep," he affirmed. "She cornered me when I was out getting breakfast, told me to congratulate you, and to not hesitate to tell our parents, otherwise you'd freak out and flush the baby down a toilet or something."

"Jess!"

He shrugged. "Hey, that's what she said. I think she's been watching too many reruns of _Unsolved Mysteries_."

Rory blew out her bangs. "Yeah, no kidding." She looked back down at the phone in her hands, all the pretty numbers dialed. All she had to do was press the green button... She looked back up at Jess. "I can't do it!" she wailed, burying her face in his shoulder.

He rubbed her back a little, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Rory, you can definitely do this. I'm right here, and hey, if she says the words 'Rosemary's baby' then you have every right to hang up." When Rory continued to hide away in the depths of his shirt, he pulled back to look at her. "Okay, what's the real reason you don't want to call her?" he asked, brow furrowed.

She glanced up, biting her lip. "I just... I don't want her to not want this for me. I really, really want this, Jess. And what if she doesn't approve? What if she thinks we're too young, or not ready?"

"Then she's a shit mom," he said bluntly. When she glared at him, he shrugged again. "It's true. But since she's _not _a horrible mom, she'll be happy for both of us and yell and scream and cry in all the good ways."

Rory sniffed and cuddled up to him a little more. "Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent."

"And if you're wrong and she hates me?"

"You have permission to punish me, Charles," he assured with a slow smile. She laughed a little and sat up, determination straightening her spine.

When she looked back at him, she was smiling faintly. "Pregnancy makes me loopy."

He didn't respond, merely raised his eyebrows. "Alright," she amended, pretending to pout, "loopi_er_, then, jerk."

He settled next to her, hand splayed on her hip, and closed his eyes. The sound of the city filtered in, mixed with the CD Rory had had playing before he came home, which he hadn't noticed before. When he realized what song was playing, he poked an eye open at her. "_Guns of Brixton_?" he questioned knowingly.

"I was feeling reminiscent," she acknowledged with a sigh. "Everything feels a little weird lately."

Jess sat up. "Bad weird?"

She smiled sweetly. "No, good-weird."

He pressed the green button as he kissed her.

She was still grinning goofily as she said into the phone, "Hey, Mom, it's me."

On the other line, Lorelai was ecstatic to hear from Rory, who had been in South Africa for the past few weeks, and hadn't been able to call. "Hey kid!" she greeted cheerfully, gesturing to Michel that she was leaving the front desk for a few minute. He acted like he hadn't seen her, which meant it was okay with him in Michel-speak.

"So," she continued, making her way to The Dragonfly's front porch. "How was Africa? You didn't let yourself get kidnapped by Joseph Kony, did you? Because I told you about talking to strangers..."

"He's in Uganda," was Rory's reply, and Lorelai could hear her frown through the phone. "And you really shouldn't joke about him, mom, he does awful things."

"Uh, right, sorry," amended Lorelai, nonplussed. She knew he did awful things, she was just kidding. It was her thing, her shtick, and Rory knew that better than anyone. Was there-- a_ha_. Something was wrong with Rory. Whenever her daughter was sick or stressed out, she completely lost her sense of humor, and this had to be the case now, she reasoned. "So, what's new with you?" she asked quickly, pressing the phone to her ear.

She heard Rory pause, and then sigh. Something was definitely up. When she spoke, Rory's voice was forced nonchalance. "Oh, nothing much. It's really cold here, so we're just laying low at home, you know."

Lorelai saw her chance, and went for another joke that Rory always played along with, trying to gauge just how bad whatever it was that was wrong with her. "So you haven't gotten rid of ol' Rocky yet?"

"Mom!" She heard Jess chuckling good-naturedly in the background, but Rory had sounded weirdly upset. What was _up _with her? Lorelai was beginning to get seriously worried.

"Sorry, sorry, that was another joke. Could you put him on the phone, Adrian?"

There was some mumbling, a scratchy sound, and then finally she heard Jess's voice say, "Hey Lorelai."

"Hiya kid. How's it goin'? Not beating up my daughter too much, I hope."

"Not enough for the bruises to show, nope."

She laughed. "How was Africa? See any tigers?"

"Seeing as we stayed in the largest urban city in South Africa, nope, we didn't see any tigers," was his sarcastic remark. "Plus I don't think tigers live in Africa. That's lions."

"Whatever, Eggbert. Was it okay other than that?"

"Great," he affirmed. "I got to write alot because Rory was mostly out reporting for her story, but we also went on this shark dive the last day we were there that was pretty slammin'. And I mean that literally, 'cause we were in this cage underwater and all these sharks were slamming against it trying to get to us."

She was initially horrified, but calmed relatively enough to speak. "You took my daughter into the ocean armed with nothing but a flimsy little _cage _to keep you safe from _sharks_?"

"Yup. Great White sharks, too."

"I wonder if there's a way to kill someone via vibes? Because I'm definitely sending you some heavy 'die, asshole, die' vibes right now."

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a little sick...."

"Alright, enough," she said finally, tired of playing games, "What's wrong with Rory?"

He cleared his throat, a dead giveaway. "Well I think she may being picking up on those death vibes you're sending me."

"Nope, there's something else. Now spill," she said shrewdly, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. She kicked at the wooden floorboards as Jess didn't say anything.

Then after a very pregnant pause, "Let me put Rory back on."

She waited patiently until Rory said hesitantly, "Mom?"

"No more bullshit," Lorelai warned, extremely anxious. "Just tell me what's wrong with you."

"Nothing's _wrong _with me," Rory laughed suddenly, "Seriously, Mom. Everything with me is really, really great."

Lorelai's breath caught in her throat. "You're pregnant, aren't you," she stated. It wasn't a question-- she just _knew_. Rory was her baby, for god's sake. And now Rory was--

"Yes, I'm pregnant," Rory confirmed, and Lorelai could hear the tears and wide smile in her voice.

Oh god. This was both the happiest and saddest day of Lorelai's life. Her kid was going to have a kid. Her _child_, her brilliant, amazing daughter was pregnant. And unmarried, she realized belatedly. But surely they'd get married, right? Rory wouldn't risk raising a child as a single mother, even though Lorelai would be very surprised indeed if Jess ever decided to leave Rory, whom he'd been crazy for since he was sixteen. Still, things went wrong sometimes, regardless of how much love was involved. But when you had a kid, things got so much more complicated. You couldn't just 'not work out'-- now you had a whole other _person _relying solely on you. Such pressure, such responsibility was more than Lorelai ever wanted Rory to go through alone, like she herself had.

"Mom?" came Rory's voice, after which Lorelai realized she hadn't said anything for at least a minute. "I know this is sudden, but--"

"You guys have an extra bedroom, right?" she interrupted, shaken out of her thoughts.

"Uh, yeah." Rory sounded confused. "Why?"

"Because Luke and I are coming up there, duh."

She heard Rory let out a happy sigh. "Great! Stay as long as you want. And," she coughed a bit, "Mom, you-- you _are... _happy for us, right?" Her voice was very small by the end of the sentence.

"Rory, I've never been so happy in my life."

The sound of Rory crying filtered through the phone. "I love you, Mom."

"You have no idea, kid, you have no idea."

* * *

Lorelai stood from the rocking chair she'd been sitting on and strode quickly back into the Inn, phone still held to her ear. She pushed open the door to the kitchen and found Sookie whipping up a gorgeous dinner. When the chef spotted her, she smiled and waved, then said, "Talking to Rory?"

Surprised, Lorelai glanced down at her hand, where the phone was still clutched in her palm. "Oh, no, I just got off with her," she said a little distractedly.

Sookie frowned a little and rubbed her hands on her apron. "You okay, sweetie? You look a little pale."

"Hm? No, I'm fine," she waved Sookie's concern off.

"Are you sure--?"

"Rory's pregnant," she blurted, unable to hold it in any longer.

Sookie froze. "Oh my god."

"Yeah."

At the same time they both jumped up and down, screaming wildly as they hugged. "I can't believe this," Sookie choked back tears as she pulled away from her best friend, smiling ear-to-ear. "This is... oh my _god. _When are you going up there?"

Lorelai's smile knew no bounds. "Probably tomorrow, depending on how fast I can get Luke to pack everything."

"I've got to call Jackson!" said Sookie excitedly, wiping her eyes. "And you have to tell, well, everyone else! And oh, I've got to bake all the pregnancy food that I craved so you can give it to Rory..."

As Sookie rushed around the room, planning and trying to find the phone, Lorelai stood still and closed her eyes. She was _definitely _going to kick Jess's ass, right after she gave Rory the biggest hug she'd ever recieved in her whole life.

* * *

A/N: Well, there's Jess, finally! And some Jess/Lorelai interaction too, which I gotta say, I _loved _writing. They're just so dynamic together, huh?

Reviews would make me extremely happy, and better inclined to write the next chapter. Plus reviewers all get my pattented 'I worship you' vibe. :)

Until next time, au revoir!


End file.
